23. PAST LIVES
PAST LIVES
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Olivia asks The Inflorescence to show her the future but the room refuses.
Instead, it grows poppies and bluebonnets beneath her feet.
It showers her with cherry blossom petals.
It sprinkles gold glitter which shimmers in the sunlight that warms Olivia’s face.
It blooms with white and magenta hibiscus flowers along the walls.
A wisteria tree erupts in the center of the room.
Olivia lies in the field and falls asleep.
She can never dream in the room, so she asks the room to do it for her.
When Olivia’s asleep, the room becomes a shadow, and then, a brilliant map of the stars.
The stars shift and dance and sing to each other.
The stars morph into two human-shaped beings, their silhouettes filled with galaxies and planets and the deep dark of space.
The star bodies hold hands. They walk over to Olivia and watch her sleep.
One of the hands reaches for her face and touches it lightly.
Lavender glitter bursts from the touch. Specks of glitter float around and turn into moss wherever they land.
A patch of moss settles on Olivia’s face.
Her skin absorbs the electric green, and a yellow sheen is left behind.